MANTIS - What a great knife!

P

PSB

Joined
Dec 21, 2003
Messages
71
I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when I read an recent article, in a leading knife magazine, about Mantis. The writer was gesticulating about the extraordinary high quality of these knives. Equal to that of many more expensive knives. I thought I'd see if I could get them at a good price. I was able to purchase both the T5-C (pants clip) and the B-6 "Caliper" for $48.00 (S&H + insurance included). They just arrived and all I can say is I'm very impressed. The B-6 is the perfect neck knife. The T5-C is the perfect EDC (3" razor sharp blade) for pocket or neck. The author wasn't kidding about quality. If these two cheaper knives are this good, I can only imagine how HOT the MF-4CM "Chaos II" must be. Definitely worth checking into. mantisknives.com ;)
 
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grrrrrrrrrr:grumpy:
 
I had an MF-4CM, MT-1, and MU-3 that I just sold on The Exchange. I needed the money for other toys. The fit and finish are fantastic. The MT-1 locks up like a vault, and doesn't have a flaw in it. The MF-4CM is an underated knife. It has been listed in the "ugliest knife" threads, and several people have commented on the uncomfortable looking handle. The knife is certainly not a looker, but I've seen much uglier. The handle is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. It is very easy to hold onto in slippery conditions. The blade is 154cm with a saber grind. You could do a lot worse for the money.
 
I have owned a few of the Manits knives and still have three. I will say for the money they cost they do indeed seem to be made well. The Karambits are both stout feeling impressive knives for the money. The T5s I have are both ok users as well. I do not believe the blade steel is what is claimed on these knives though. For example the review I wrote in the review forum on these was quite thorough and although I acknowledge that they are in fact better built cheaper knives none of the knives tested for hardness panned out to be where they should be for the steel. The Rockwell testing of the supposed BG42 blade for example came back at 56 Rc. The Karambit that is the lesser steel came back the exact same hardness as the supposed BG42 T5. Neither outcut the other to the degree you would expect from the supposedly better blade model and to put it bluntly there is just no way this is BG42 alloy for this blade. If it is it is the worst example of this steel this end line user has ever cut with.

You can read my review here. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=474328&highlight=Mantis

I went out of my way to try to give the benefit of the doubt to the owner of the company here because he did tell me point blank that the steels are what he claims they are but looking back I have to wonder if what I suspect in my gut is probably closer to the truth about what is going on with the blade steels here. Thats all I'll say about it publically except that he at least did acknowledge that both blades were a bit soft but that was all he would say. In the end he seemed for lack of a better description to be short and evasive. I also noted that even after several attempts to get him to contribute to the thread he declined and he did know about it because I gave him the link. That invite still stands.

For the record. If this blade is BG42 its a total waste of an expensive steel to run it at 56 Rockwell when it should be at 62Rc minimum according to most of the literature I could find on it.

STR
 
I have th 2008 T5-C with pants clip. It's fantastic. I haven't heard the greatest things about the T5. Also, it has no pants clip. They definitely worked out any bugs in the T5-C
 
Well, I'll be gettin 2 of them (MF-4CM & MU-3). For the price, I figured it was inexpensive enough to check them out (Thanks Kiahs).
 
i own the karambit. it's a good knife, for the money. i have 3 complaints, though:
1. the swivel pin/bolt. how the hell do i adjust the tension on it?
2. i hate chisel grinds.
3. the handle edges could have been rounded off more.

i do use this knife regularly, though. i only paid $30, so i'm not afraid to break it. also, i sharpened the tip swedge on it, so now it's a blade and a half. it handles well, cuts well, and it's affordable. ideally, spyderco would be making this knife, if that makes any sense.
 
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